Are you ready for this?

*Cue Nineties rock-pop I think I remember from Bring it On (classic!)*
Winter is coming! A major snow storm projected for this evening, the first one of the year. My little Canadian heart is full to bursting, ready to take on the deluge.
I however, am somewhat disheartened, as I yet again have needed to go back to optimize my real time work. Will it ever end? Will I ever truly have data? No one knows....
Having already done a lot of lab work today and it also being grey and rainy out, my ability to work has slid steadily down this afternoon.... so I've been reading awesome blogs by other grad students and profs. I know I blogged a while ago that I was quite certain a PhD wasn't for me, really enjoying my field work and writing tests for government jobs (filled with horrible situations and formulas!) have made me consider it again. Yes I know, you groan, can't I ever make up my mind? Well, I really can't so PhD is back on the list of possible to dos. Definitely in a few years, I'm going to need time away to decompress after the stress of this Masters, but its back.
Anyways, along with reading grad student blogs, I've also been keeping up on the election in the States. I really don't know what I'm going to do when its all over.... do real work? ha!
(P.S. the roomie and I have awesome halloween costume ideas, with me as a certain VP candidate and her as that candidate's knocked up daughter. Hopefully we can twist some arms to get people to go out with us on Friday)

New things

Holy cats - I can do quantitative PCR! This whacky idea may come to fruition!
Have had an incredibly busy week of meetings, lab work, banging head against lab bench and social activities. Also managed to submit a big important scholarship application, keep your fingers crossed for me!
I find myself in an odd position of being very focused on what I'm working on right now, trying to keep a handle on my deadlines (all self-appointed but I love them so!) and think of what's next, but having to consider and think of the future.
I'm submitting job applications. As in REAL jobs, that would pay me more than the lower than the poverty line amount I currently receive (but am totally appreciative of of course, I like to eat). Jobs I could have for a while, rather than the 4 months stints I've done in the summers. If you know me, you know I LOVE to plan. Planning and me, such buddies. But I know that right now, whats important is whats in front of me, though thinking about cute office outfits is a good motivator on sleepy afternoons like today.
Anyways, off to Ottawa soon for a fabulous reunion with all my fabulous former Kingston roomates! So excited. Got to do a little bit more work before I go so ta for now!

Election, Canadian style

... well dammit.

How am I supposed to compete with that?!

I saw a homeless man today advertise his blog on a piece of paper next to his coffee cup for change. I may be a whiner but I do recognize that he deals with much worse stuff than I do (though I do want to know where he writes from). I just hope that I have more readers, considering I'm pretty sure his blog is just all the things he's stopped yelling at people on the street.
I'm going to hell aren't I?

Eyugh, my head

Roomie and I just watched the VP debate. Sometimes aghast at Palin's sheer effrontery, to try and claim that she does not discriminate against homosexual couples (HELLO - you call it a CHOICE, you clearly are discriminating), that drilling is really the way to improve the energy and climate change problems in the state (I think she's just mad there's just a whole bunch of caribou in the north that she's not allowed to shoot at from a helicopter), that she actually understands foreign policy (she says foreign leader names the same way Bush does, that isn't it AWESOME she pronounced it right?!), and so on and so on....
I think Biden pulled it off in the end. I loved it when he said how horrible Cheney has been, he clearly ran the table when it came to foreign policy, he's actually been to Chad (to her, its something you might consider to name a baby) and even his reference to his family tragedy, though veered dangerously into sap zone, just showed his humanity which I think will only reassure all the independent and centrist women who have been so offended by Palin's nomination.
She didn't terribly fumble, no terrible answers but the number of answers she didn't answer was pretty significant and she definitely lost steam towards the end. Most pundits are already saying that it was essentially a tie, but one that will not hurt the Obama campaign, and I think his numbers will just keep going up *knock on wood*. (UPDATE! Polls are showing that most people who watched are calling it for Biden, finding him more knowledgable.)
...
While we watched the VP debate, we had the Canadian debate on mute. We're bad Canadians, I know, but our minds are already made up. It did do my heart good though to see Elizabeth May in there swinging, she had a good burn moment at Harper. I don't think that Harper will be getting the majority, but I am fairly certain that but for a major event, Dion will not be the leader of the Liberals for the election after this one. I'll miss him.
All the stridency has given me a bit of headache though, will head to bed quite soon. I've gotten a fair amount done this week, taking on a big challenge next week, let's see how this all goes. As a grad student I feel quite insulated from the world (P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the recent PhD Comic on the economy and its impact on grads), but I do intend to enter it quite soon. I've been applying for a scholarship to get a policy degree so I've been reading a lot more. I keep saying I want to save the world. I have a lot of work ahead of me....

Update and rant

Hey folks, sorry for the long lapse in posting. First upon returning to Montreal I ran around like a crazy person, trying to start processing all of my samples. As it was also my birthday the next week I had to celebrate that, and returning to Montreal, and it being nice weather, and that beer is yummy.... and I celebrated a bit too much. Unfortunately, my health then took another turn for the worse. I have to have some minor surgery tomorrow, and perhaps removal of my gall bladder at some point. I returned home to the parents house for the weekend to be pampered, and came back today for my procedure for tomorrow. Wish me luck!
But beyond my own annoying life, I have something to rant about that I feel I should share with the world. This picture is a little old, from some point last week, but raised my ire from the beginning.
BRITNEY - WHY DO YOU KEEP GOING TO BLOCKBUSTER!?!?!?!
Auugh. I find it incredibly hard to believe that despite all her millions, the extensive staff we see supervising her children, management, etc. that she doesn't have a NetFlix account. Or, you know, her OWN MOVIES. Or someone she can send to the store. Or doesn't Blockbuster now have some sort of online option, in case she's really brand loyal or something? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS.
She KNOWS that she will have her picture taken there, and I do realize that she is not the most rational person in the world, but does she not consider how weird and trashy it seems? You've come so far recently Brit-Brit, you can kick this awful habit too!
That is all for now folks, will let you know how my procedure goes as soon as I can...

Back in Montreal

Greetings all! I greet you now from the humid and balmy island of Montreal. I finished up my field work on Sunday morning by scaling/climbing/crawling up sand dunes along the banks of the Great Whale river to collect that last, teasing, population. I then found out there was room on that afternoon's flight to Montreal, booked it, packed like a mad woman, and sailed back to Montreal. A note for anyone traveling to the north - Air Creebec was always a very comfortable air line, with lots of drink services and a really yummy dinner provided on the last leg of yesterday's flight, so I highly recommend it.
I thought I would go through a bit more of a culture shock back in Montreal than I have, but aside from the urge to continue greeting everyone I come across as I did in the communities, I've slid quite comfortably back into city life. I wandered around this afternoon with Caroline, enjoying Starbucks, gelato and yummy Thai food just as I had been dreaming. I've even managed to unpack most everything from the trip, will cart my samples to Mac tomorrow and slowly ease back into the lab life. I definitely didn't miss the commute, but I will grin and bear it until April. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed my musings on life in the field, and continue to check in with me. Now the subjects will likely shift to frustration with my lab work, and various other topics of the day. For example, I can't help but be gleeful today with the news that Sarah Palin is going to be a grandmother..... but until the next time, tootles!